How would you like to see Mount Rushmore National Memorial developed in the next two decades? Don't say "leave it like it is," because that's not an option.

National Park Service officials are in the process of updating the management plan for Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The last update was in 1980, and Gerard Baker, superintendent of the memorial, is charged with starting the process.

And change is inevitable.

Baker and his staff, with public input, are developing ideas for the future of the monument grounds and how address the ever-changing demands of visitors and the realities available resources. Under consideration are ways to draw more visitors, keep them entertained on the grounds longer and add to the educational value of the national park.

It's a tall order, and one that won't come without some divided opinions.

There's more than one school of thought on what's best for the future of Mount Rushmore. Purists would say the location has already undergone changes that have transformed it from a monument to a spectacle. The entrance to the monument would be more suited to a Las Vegas hotel than a Black Hills attraction, after all.

Others would disagree, seeing only positive growth at the monument that attracts new generations of visitors to the state and educates them on South Dakota history.

The bottom line is the park service needs to draw visitors and those visitors don't come just to look at the mountainside. In an increasingly competitive tourism market and tightening wallets, visitors need to buy trinkets and be entertained to make the short trek up the hill worthwhile. That's the challenge for the park service - to make the trip worthwhile and at the same time maintain the integrity of Mount Rushmore.

The park plan will be developed over the next several years. Public input will help guide the process so we'd encourage everyone to let park officials know what they consider a positive plan for the future of Mount Rushmore.

Like we said, change is inevitable, but exactly what change will take place isn't clear yet.

Finally, regardless of changes that have taken place or will in the future, Mount Rushmore can be something different, something special, to every visitor. Go to Mount Rushmore and see what you want to see. The message you take away from the great monument to our forefathers can't be changed, regardless of a management plan.

If you'd like to comment on the future of Mount Rushmore, do so before Dec. 29 at parkplanning.nps.gov.